A dissenting opinion says individual citizens, not the government, should decide the most effective means of defense. However, the majority opinion says the gun ban does not violate the Second Amendment because it gives would-be owners other options, including buying a handgun.

A three-judge panel of the 7th District U.S. Court of Appeals today rejected the Illinois ban on carrying concealed weapons.

Combining appeals from federal district courts in central and southern Illinois, the 2-1 decision declares that the state failed to provide "more than merely a rational basis for believing that its uniquely sweeping ban is justified by an increase in public safety."